KID MOB
KIDmob is a San Francisco-based nonprofit mobile design firm that delivers hands-on design and maker education workshops to K–12 schools, educators, and underserved youth communities in the US and internationally, including a specialized program for children with upper limb differences.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What KID MOB does
KIDmob is a San Francisco-based, fiscally sponsored nonprofit (501(c)(3) via Intersection for the Arts since 2012) that operates as a mobile, kid-integrated design firm delivering design education workshops to schools and communities. Founded in 2010 from a pilot program at Indian Valley Academy in Plumas County, California, the organization has since expanded its workshop model to the Bay Area, Haiti, the Philippines, and Rhode Island, with service reach into the US and Canada for educator professional development. Core offerings include Student Design/Build Workshops ($5,500–$9,500 per engagement), Professional Development for Educators ($200–$2,250 per participant), the KIDmob Network annual school membership ($11,500–$18,500 for Phase I; $5,500–$12,500 for Phase II), the international Youth Design Summit capstone, and the Superhero Cyborgs program for youth ages 10–15 with upper limb differences.
The underlying methodology combines a proprietary design process framework (the "Wild Card" structured approach) with hands-on maker technologies including 3D printing, laser/vinyl cutting, CNC routing, woodworking, and parametric CAD tools (TinkerCAD, Fusion360). Workshops pair students and educators with a rotating bench of professional designers, architects, engineers, and fabricators — sourced through partnerships with California College of the Arts, Brown University School of Engineering, and Autodesk's Pier 9 facility — to design and prototype solutions for real community challenges. This curriculum-plus-fabrication platform is portable: KIDmob travels to partner sites rather than requiring customers to come to a central facility.
Revenue mechanics combine per-workshop professional services fees, annual school subscription contracts, small merchandise sales (branded workbelts at $30, Wild Card mugs at $25), and donations/fundraising via FlipCause and grants from supporters such as Southern Exposure and the eBay Giving Foundation. No venture capital, private equity, or institutional funding rounds are disclosed. The organization operates with a 1–10 person team and has not publicly disclosed financials. Strategic visibility has been elevated through recognition at the 2016 White House Inclusive Design Showcase, an IDSA Design Learning Challenge Honorable Mention (2013), CCA Impact Awards finalist status (2012), and earned media in The Atlantic, NPR, Gizmodo, Hackaday, and Make Magazine.
KID MOB firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- KID MOB
- Legal name
- KIDmob
- Website
- https://kidmob.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- KIDmob is a San Francisco-based nonprofit mobile design firm that delivers hands-on design and maker education workshops to K–12 schools, educators, and underserved youth communities in the US and internationally, including a specialized program for children with upper limb differences.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
KID MOB industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Design Education Services
- NAICS
- All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Robotics & Engineering Summer Camps / Bootcamps (EDAMADAF)
Keywords
Where KID MOB is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
KID MOB business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Workshop Services: KIDmob provides design education workshops to schools and communities, charging per workshop or through annual Network membership programs. Services include student workshops, professional development for educators, and Youth Design Summits.
- Product Sales: The organization sells branded merchandise including workbelts designed for kids ($30) and Wild Card mugs ($25) through their online store.
- Donations and Fundraising: As a fiscally sponsored nonprofit (via Intersection for the Arts 501(c)(3) status), KIDmob accepts donations through platforms like FlipCause and conducts fundraising events such as the PASSEPORT party series.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Student Design/Build Workshops - Core program for middle school students |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Professional Development for Educators |
| Subscription | Annual | KIDmob Network Phase I - Comprehensive school partnership |
| Subscription | Annual | KIDmob Network Phase II - Co-leadership transition |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Youth Design Summit - International capstone program |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | KIDmob Workbelt |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wild Card Mug |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
KID MOB product offering
Product offeringCore offering
KIDmob is a mobile, kid-integrated design firm that delivers hands-on design education workshops to schools and communities. The organization travels to partner locations to run intensive student design/build workshops, professional development for educators, the Superhero Cyborgs body-modification program for kids with upper limb differences, and the international Youth Design Summit. Services center on teaching design thinking, digital fabrication (3D printing, laser cutting, vinyl cutting), and maker skills to middle schoolers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Superhero Cyborgs: Build your own body mod workshop for kids ages 10-15 with upper limb differences
- Youth Design Summit
- Student Design/Build Workshops
- Professional Development for Educators
- KIDmob Network
- Secret Mission STEAM Fair
Products and services
- Student Design/Build Workshops
- Professional Development for Educators
- KIDmob Network
- Superhero Cyborgs
- Youth Design Summit
- Secret Mission STEAM Fair
Quantifiable outcome
- Students consistently above county average on standardized tests
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use KID MOB
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
KID MOB technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature3 records
KID MOB partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- AutodeskcoreHosted Superhero Cyborgs 2.0 workshop at Pier 9 facilities. Provided education and manufacturing department sponsorship, Fusion360 software, 3D printing technology, and facilities access. Education team facilitating use of space.
- Philippines CommuniterecorePartner in Tacloban City Youth Hub project. Provided local coordination and community organizing support for the three-week workshop series that engaged over 120 participants.
- UNICEFcorePartner in Tacloban City Youth Hub project. Provided support and resources for creating a teen hangout and resource center for local youth in the typhoon-affected community.
- The City of TaclobancoreMunicipal government partner in Tacloban City, Philippines. Provided local city officials, facilities access, and support for the youth hub design and construction project.
- Brown University School of EngineeringcorePartnered on Superhero Cyborgs workshop, providing fabrication shop space including 3D printers and laser cutters. Design and engineering students and professionals participated as facilitators.
- Helping Hands FoundationcorePartner for Superhero Cyborgs program, providing participant recruitment support. Serves as support group for children with upper limb differences. Instrumental in recruiting workshop participants ages 10-15.
- ARCH Drafting SuppliesminorSan Francisco independent drafting supplies retailer that donates materials monthly to support KIDmob workshop needs.
- Feather River CollegecoreCommunity college in Plumas County, California that sponsored a three-part workshop series to bring maker education county-wide. Invested in Fab Lab Kits for each participating school. Provided Career and Technical Education initiatives support.
- CA College of the Arts (CCA)coreOngoing partnership with CCA including student volunteers as workshop facilitators, collaboration with Social Business Ventures MBA class on business model development, Scrap Out material donation program, and co-hosting events.
- The Exploratorium (XTech)minorCo-created workshop intensive with XTech team for redesigning existing outreach exhibitions. Three-day workshop with student teams presenting to Exploratorium outreach coordinators.
- Public WorkshopminorPartnered with Philadelphia-based Public Workshop for Market Street Prototyping Festival project, working together on the Adaptive Playscape installation.
- Rebuild GloballycoreNGO partner in Haiti that creates pathways out of poverty through jobs and education. Hosts workshops at their Port-au-Prince facility and participates in Youth Design Summit. Students developed business proposal for cross-community support.
- The Union School-HaiticorePre-K to 12 international school in Port-au-Prince. Partner in Youth Design Summit 2014. Students participated in cross-cultural design exchange and designed solutions for improving student engagement.
- Indian Valley AcademycoreKIDmob's pilot school since 2011. Has transformed to entirely design- and project-based approach with student-run Makerspace. Students consistently above county average on tests. Several graduate with Associate's Degree.
- Lighthouse Community Charter SchoolminorPartner school with Creativity Lab maker space. KIDmob provided professional development on integrating 3D printers and vinyl cutters into curricula, funded by eBay Giving Foundation grant.
- POA ProstheticsminorProsthetist Erik Tompkins from POA Prosthetics helped Superhero Cyborgs participants design body modifications that fit their bodies comfortably using thermoplastics, padding, and velcro.
- iLab//HaiticoreMaker space in Port-au-Prince Haiti that KIDmob helped establish and develop. Serves as local facilitators for workshops and Youth Design Summits. Team members include Sylfrain Johnson, Deseme Willio, and Franky Jean-Baptiste.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
KID MOB competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MakerKids: Canadian company running after-school programs, camps, and parties for kids focused on maker skills including 3D printing, woodworking, and coding. Directly comparable for-profit maker education provider targeting similar age group.
- DIY.org: Online platform teaching maker skills (3D printing, electronics, woodworking, etc.) to kids through challenges and project-based learning. Comparable maker-skill curriculum targeted at the same age demographic.
- Maker Camp: MAKE Magazine's free online summer camp program providing daily projects and themes for kids to make, create, and share. Comparable in mission of getting kids hands-on with maker skills, though delivered through content rather than direct workshops.
- Maker Ed: Nonprofit (formerly Maker Education Initiative) focused on expanding maker education to youth through educator support and program resources. Directly comparable to KIDmob as a peer nonprofit delivering maker/design programming to K-12 students.
- Tinkering School: Founded by Gever Tulley, hands-on maker camp/school where kids design and build real projects using wood, tools, and creative problem-solving. Highly comparable workshop-based maker education model for school-age children.
- Public Workshop: Philadelphia-based design/build organization engaging youth in design of community projects. Named in KIDmob's data as a partnership collaborator on the Adaptive Playscape installation.
- City X Project: Design thinking workshop for kids using 3D printing and prototyping tools to design solutions for community problems. Explicitly referenced in KIDmob's own press coverage and operates an almost identical model.
Broad incumbents
- Camp Invention: National Inventors Hall of Fame's flagship STEM summer camp program serving K-6 students across the US. Operates at significantly larger scale than KIDmob in the same supplemental enrichment/STEM camp category.
- IDEO: Global design firm that pioneered design thinking methodology and runs education initiatives including work with K-12 systems. Comparable at methodology level (design thinking pedagogy) but operates as a much broader design consultancy.
Emerging players
- Connected Camps: Online maker camps and coding programs for kids, including Minecraft-based design and collaboration. Comparable in mission and audience, but delivers digitally rather than via in-person workshops.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
KID MOB social profiles
Digital presenceKID MOB financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
KID MOB leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
KID MOB funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
KID MOB M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about KID MOB
What does KID MOB do?
KIDmob is a mobile, kid-integrated design firm that delivers hands-on design education workshops to schools and communities. The organization travels to partner locations to run intensive student design/build workshops, professional development for educators, the Superhero Cyborgs body-modification program for kids with upper limb differences, and the international Youth Design Summit. Services center on teaching design thinking, digital fabrication (3D printing, laser cutting, vinyl cutting), and maker skills to middle schoolers.
Is KID MOB a public or private company?
KID MOB is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was KID MOB founded?
KID MOB was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is KID MOB based?
KID MOB is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does KID MOB make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Workshop Services are the primary driver. The others are product Sales and donations and Fundraising.
Who are KID MOB's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MakerKids, DIY.org, Maker Camp, Maker Ed, Tinkering School, Public Workshop and City X Project. Broad incumbents are Camp Invention and IDEO. Connected Camps is listed as an emerging player.
Does KID MOB have an API?
No public API is recorded for KID MOB.
What industry is KID MOB in?
KID MOB's product category is Design Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMADAF, Robotics & Engineering Summer Camps / Bootcamps. Its NAICS code is 61169.